1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sound detecting devices for motor vehicles and, more specifically, to a sound detector device for locating and diagnosing sounds in a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Motor vehicle manufacturers aim to eliminate rattles, squeaks and other unexpected or undesired noises that might occur when a motor vehicle is in use. One known apparatus to locate and correct a source of the noises is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,298. In this patent, an apparatus is provided for identification of vibration induced noises on vehicles on a stationary test facility. Another known apparatus to locate and correct the source of noises is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,026. In this patent, an electronic instrument is provided for locating and diagnosing engine sounds for a motor vehicle. The electronic instrument has a single microphone connected to a hand-held electronic housing with a circuit therein and a headset connected to the housing. The electronic instrument has frequency filtering limited to xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d weighting such that only low frequencies are filtered.
Although the above apparatuses have worked to identify the source of noises in vehicles, it is desirable to provide a device for dealers and assembly plant operators to allow them to effectively diagnose squeak, rattle and unexpected noise in a vehicle and its subsystems. It is also desirable to provide a device that detects, locates and records these sounds. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a sound detector device for a motor vehicle.
Accordingly, the present invention is a sound detector device for locating and diagnosing sound in a motor vehicle including a headphone and a plurality of directional microphones. The sound detector device also includes a main unit having a circuit operatively connected to the headphone and the directional microphones for allowing an operator to diagnose sound in the motor vehicle.
One advantage of the present invention is that a sound detector device is provided for a motor vehicle. Another advantage of the present invention is that the sound detector device allows an operator to diagnose sounds such as a squeak, rattle and unexpected noise in a motor vehicle and its subsystems. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the sound detector device has two directional microphones to enhance the localization of the source of the sounds. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the sound detector device has adjustable band pass filtering that allows the user to select the center frequency and bandwidth. A further advantage of the present invention is that the sound detector device is hand-held. Still a further advantage of the present invention is that the sound detector device is relatively low cost.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood after reading the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.